Helen L Robertson has lived and worked as an artist in Glenshiel near the Isle of Skye since 1988, following her graduation from Edinburgh College of Art and the Royal College of Art in London. The rugged landscapes and seascapes of the highlands and islands, continually enhanced by the seasons and weather, offer her an endless supply of creative possibilities.
"I love to get out into the landscape with my sketchbook and a selection of inks and pastels in order to capture the essence of a place. There's no better feeling than being out in the elements, watching the light racing across the landscape.
I begin with flooding the paper with water, acrylic inks and watercolour. It’s is a very spontaneous experience. I let the colours collide and run together, letting them “do their own thing”. I feel that when you are not in complete control of a medium is when the magic can happen. I work on top of the ink once it’s completely dry with soft pastel.
Time is spent deciding where to add and more importantly where not to add the pastel in order to preserve the lovely fluid qualities of the ink, but to also bring the painting together as a whole.
I go through phases of being very prolific where everything I do just seems to flow effortlessly, but sometimes the opposite can happen. Time is spent sometimes asking myself, how on earth do I do this again?"